Voters take advantage of early voting in record numbers

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Baton Rouge, La (NBC33) —
Early voting is over for Decision 2011, but the Secretary of State's Office says a record number of people took advantage of the opportunity.

According to the Secretary of State, almost 160,000 ballots were cast in the week of early voting, which is up more than 12% from the 2007 elections.

Whether it was to avoid long lines or trying not to miss the LSU vs Auburn game, which coincides with Election Day, current Secretary of State Tom Schedler said it's possible more people could vote before Election Day in future elections.

“We see that growing totally over the next few years, and more and more people look at it as a convenience issue,” stated Schedler. “We're going to continue to add sites as we can and availability over the next few years.”

In the 2007 state election, a little more than 135,000 people voted early.

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